de Salvert, Marquis de Maintenon et de Meslay,and Marie Le Clerc du Tremblay. Upon his father's death, he inherited the title of Marquis de Maintenon.

He chose not to follow in the footsteps of his ancestors and joined the Navy in 1669 and arrived in the Caribbean on La Sybille. He took command of the ship after the death of her captain in 1672. He joined the expedition against Curaçao and attacked British ships near Saint-Domingue.